Kiln furniture



.March 28, 1933. L. L. LADD J KILN FUNITURE Filed Sept. 28, 1931 2Sheets-Sheet x 1 I I 1 L. L. LADD KILN FURNITURE March 28, 1933.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 28, 1931 WUUUUU W H UWUDDUDUDNUJJ wfiuuuuUHUUUUUQU umuu UUUUUU QUUDDUUU Patented Mar. 28, 1933 PATENT OFFICE:

LESTEB L. LAEDDQOF LOCKPORT, ILLINoIs KILN` FURNITURE 'Application-filedSeptember 28, 1931. Serial No. 565,!503.

This-invention relates to 'kln furniture used for supporting. ceramicproducts.

In firing ceramic products the Ware s sometimessubjected to threedistinctfiring 5 Operations. The bisque is first hardened in a bisquekiln having a peak temperature of approximately 2200 F. and, after beinghardened, it 'is glazed and thenfired in a glo st kiln having a peaktemperature of approxmate1y'2000 F. Ifthe glost ware is then decorated,itis refired in a decorating kiln at a peak temperature of approximately1400 i Theceramic products' are usually stacled kln furniture. Furnitureused in bisque kilns is made of refractory material because of the hightemperatures of such kilns. Fur- `niture used in glost kilns anddecoratng kilns may be made of refractorymaterial, but very frequentlysuch furniture is made of cast iron. i i

`VVhen cast iron is heated repeatedly, it turns tOxI'OIl oxide andgrowsin'sze. This growth is considerable when the heating of'theiron'has extended over a period of years( For instance, in acircular kiln having a conveyer` forty-eight feet in'diameter, the castiron furniture will sometimes grow eightfeet in length in a period ofthree years. r

Cast iron furniture usually comprises a plurality of horizontal shelvesSecured to upright posts or standards. In the cast iron furnitureheretofore in use, the shelves' were secured to the standards in suchmanner that there was no possibility of relative movement between theseparate part-s. As 'a' consequence, when such furniture was repeatedlyheated in the kiln, 'it warped and becameunfit for use after acomparatively short time.

The main objects of this invention are to provide an improved form ofkiln furniture having separahle sections connected together 3 ina'manner which will permit the furniture i to grow without warping; toprovide furni- "in the kilns on raekscommonly known as ture havingseparable sections which may be readily assembled and dismantled, evenby unskilled-labor; and to provide kiln furniture of this kind which maybe used in either straight or circular tunnel kilns.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in theaocompanying drawings, wherein i i Figure l isa fragmentary sideelevation of a circular conveyer on which the improved '55 furniture issupport-ed. i v F igure is a transverse vertical section of a circulartunnel kiln showingtheimproved furniture. 4

Figure 3 is a fragmentary horizontal section, taken on the line 3-3 ofFigure 2.

i Figure 4 is 'a top elevation of a section of the circular conveyer. Ii

F igure 5 is a perspective view of one of the base members of thefurniture.

j F igure 6 is a perspective view of one of the standards.

Figure 7 is a 'perspeotive view of one of the brackets by which theoonveyer platform is 'Secured to the I'-beam.

,Figure 8 isa perspective view of one of the foot members of thefurniture.

Kiln furniture embodying this invention may be used in tunnel kilns ofthe straight or circular type. `In the form herein shown, #7:5

"the furniture is used in a circular kiln comprsng a tunnel l having acentral ware passage, through which the ware travels on a circularconveyer. The tunnel 1 has the usual troughs 3 filled with sand orotheri suitable scaling material to coact with aprons 4: onithe conveyerfor preventing the heat in the ware passage from reaching the conveyersupports. r i

` The conveyer includes a plurality of arcu ate platform sections 5supported on brackets 6 which are seoured to a circular I-beam 7 bybolts 8 or other suitable fastenng means. Formed in the brackets 6 areholes 9 for receiving bolts 10 which secure the bracketsto the platformsections. These holes are elongated, as shown in Fig. 7 so as to permitproper adjustment of the circular platform in the event that the I-beamdoes not define a true circle. The platform of the conveyer may be facedwith a suitable refractory material 11. Secured to the lower flange ofthe I-beam, is a mono-rail 12 which rides on a plurality of wheels 13,certain of which are motor driven for moving the conveyer, as more fullydescribed in my copending application Serial No. '366,959, filed May 29,1929, which has become Patent 1,842,411.

In the form shown, the improved furniture comprises a plurality of castiron separable sections, including foot members 14, base members 15,standards 16, and shelf sections 17.

The foot members 14 are in the form of angle bars which rest upon theconveyer platform. Integrally formed on these foot members, are ledges18 adapted to support the base members 15. Formed in one of the flangesof each foot member, adjacent the ledge 18, is a pair of apertures 19for receiving bolts 20, which secure the foot members to the basemembers.

Each of the base members 15 has a pair of integral hearing blocks 21provided with apertures 22 for receiving the bolts 20. Formed atrespectively opposite ends of each base member is a pair of bosses 23having sockets 24 for receiving the lower ends of the standards 16.

In the Construction shown, each standard 16 comprises a post having aplurality of ledges 25 arranged at intervals for supporting the shelfsections 17 in several horizontal planes above the base members. Thelower ledges 25 of the standards rest upon the bosses 23 of the basemembers. Formed in the lower ends of the standards are keyways 26 forreceiving wedges 27 which secure the standards to the base members.These wedges are adapted to engage notches 28 in the lower faces of thebosses 23 to secure the standards against turning in their sockets.

The greater portion of each standard is polygonal in cross section andthe faces thereof are slightly concave, as illustrated in Fig. 3. It hasbeen found that with such a form, the standards do not flake readily.

Each of the shelf sections is slightly arcuate so that, when placed endto end, a plurality of such sections will form a circular shelf. TheConstruction shown provides three circular shelves disposed in differentplanes. These shelf sections are preferably apertured, as shown in Figs.2 and 3, to facilitate the circulation of air in the Ware passage and toreduce the amount of heat absorbed by the furniture.

The sections -of each shelf are spaced from one another as illustratedin Figs. 1 and eoae Formed in the ends of these sections are recesses 29for receiving the standards. The recesses of adjacent sections formopenings which are appreci-ably larger in cross section than thestandards so as to permit the shelf sections to grow horizontallywithout being restrained by the stand-ards.

In operation, the conveyer travels slowly through the tunnel for movingthe ware through the passage 2.

To assemble the improved furniture, a few of the base members 15 andtheir foot members 14 are placed radially on the conveyer platform, asshown in F igs. 1 and 2. The ends of -each pair of foot members 14 arespaced from adj acent foot members, so as to permit these members toeXpand. After a few of the base members 15 are properly placed, thestandards 16 are inserted into the sockets 24 and the wedges -appliedThe shelf sections 17 are then placed on the ledges 25.

With this improved c-onstruction, the shelf sections may growconsiderably before touching one another. After the shelf sections haveexpanded so as to touch one another, one tier of the furniture parts maybe removed and the other tiers rearranged so as to separate theremaining sections to permit additional growth. u

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been hereinshown and described, it will be understood that certain details of theConstruction shown may be altered without departing from the spirit ofthis invention as defined by the following claims:

I claim:

1. Kiln furniture comprising a horizontal shelf having openings therein,and a plurality of standards extending through said openings forsupporting said shelf, said standards being appreciably smaller in crosssection than sai-d openings t-o permit said shelf to move longitudinallyand transversely relative to said standards.

2. Kiln furniture comprising a base member having sockets therein, aplurality of standards seated in said sockets, and a shelf looselysupported on said standards for movement horizontally relative to saidstandards and base member.

3. Kiln furniture comprising a base member having sockets therein, aplurality of standards seated in said sockets, wedges eX- tendingthrough said standards and engaging said base member for detachablysecuring said standards to said base member, and a shelf looselysupported on said standards for movement horiz-ontally relative to saidstand- -ar-ds and base member.

4. Kiln furniture comprising a plurality of base members spaced from oneanother and provided with sockets, a plurality of standards seated insaid sockets, and a plurality of horizontal shelf sections looselysupported on said standards so as to be adapted to exand horizontallyrelative to said standar s.

5. Kiln furniture comprising a pluralty of horizontal shelf sectionshaving openings therein, and a plurality of standards extending throughsaid openngs and having ledges for supporting said shelf sections, saidstandards being appreciably smaller in cross sec- 1 tion than saidopenings to permt ex ansion ofdsaid shelf sections relative to saistandar s.

LESTER L. LADD-

